As expected, the Red Sox have some outs in case Drew’s shoulder becomes a problem. Team doctors indicated that he could have shoulder issues three to five years from now, so the escape clauses are based on that assumption.

Boston officially has a murderer’s row of .400 OBP/.500-.600 SLG guys in the middle of their lineup. It will be a nasty stretch for any pitcher.

You have to wonder if Boras could convince Weaver to take another one year contract, maybe in the $7MM range. He could stick in the NL all year and parlay it into a nice three-year pact if he pitches decently. His best bet is probably St. Louis; they’re offering two years.

After weeks of being close, the Cubs have signed outfielder Cliff Floyd to a one-year deal with a mutual option for ’08. The AP has the terms. It’s $3MM guaranteed, with bonuses that can bring it to a maximum of $17.5MM over the next two seasons.

Head over to RotoAuthority to see which NL team has the best starting rotation, in my opinion. I should mention that I’ve projected the Rocket as an Astro so he’s boosting their ranking. Rosenthal has the Brewers as his top surprise pick of ’07; I would agree based on their rotation.

And check out AllCubs.com to see who ranked #10 on the list of the ten worst Cubs in recent memory.

Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times writes that the Devil Rays are close to signing first baseman Carlos Pena to a minor league deal. Tampa Bay wanted him last year too after Detroit released him. The Yankees picked him up but he didn’t get the call. He then exercised his option to become a free agent and signed with Boston. Pena’s best season was 2004, when he hit .241/.338/.472 in 142 games. He’ll turn 29 in May.

The Mariners or Dodgers could still make a play for Weaver as well. The Dodgers would really be stacked in the rotation, but maybe it would be to complement a trade.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch mentions this morning that the Cards have a two-year offer out to Weaver and expect a decision on that this week. Joe Strauss adds the Mets to the list of other possible suitors.